Now and Then…Comparison and Contrast

By: Sean Savoie 

In any fundamental writing class, the ability to use comparison and contrast to express an idea is essential. Students in one such class were given the writing homework assignment this week of comparing and contrasting their generation against their parents’ generation. The poor teenagers! Being forced indoors on a beautiful hot summer day to study writing in a rather small room. And on top of this, they need to think and write about their parents’ generation. Ouch! 

Nevertheless, for us adults, the topic of differences between now and a generation ago is fascinating! With all apologies to and respect for any younger readers out there, I must maintain that the greatest advantage of being older is the ability to perceive subtler distinctions in life, by which I mean that ideas become more fragmented over the trial of time. Generally speaking, upon aging, people become less certain of the ideas they felt so strong about in their youth. Doubts creep in specifically because one realizes that there is so much that we do not and cannot know. Youth can be so innocent. It is great to get back there sometimes. 

Meanwhile, we should consider the idea of how the year 2007 and the year 1980 are different. I would say 27 years is a fair estimate of a "generation", and much has happened since that year when I was first entering high school. 

Comparison and contrast is a powerful tool, enabling teachers to more easily judge how much a student has learned over a period of time. So, we need to consider this topic of "now and then" as a writer, keeping in mind all the benefits and possibilities created in pre-writing. 

There are three basic states of mind that a writer can be in upon receiving a writing assignment: know exactly what you want to write, have no idea what you want to write, or have an idea but are not sure how to write it. 

If you know exactly what you want to write, skip down to step three or go ahead and write the first draft. Do not stare at a blank piece of paper for minutes, hours, or days; but rather think with your pencil by writing down everything you can think of whether or not it seems to make sense. This brings us to our first step. 

1) Brainstorm:  Make an extensive list of any and every word or phrase that comes to mind. Do not think! Just write. In this way, unexpected thoughts and feelings can simply come out of your mind. The biggest problem people usually have when brainstorming is trying to consider if a word or idea is correct or incorrect, appropriate or inappropriate, connected or disconnected. For this reason, it is important to forget about being "right" (this technique is also excellent for keeping your personal relationships open and honest). 

2)  Try to group words together by classifying them into one category. For example, many of the words in your list may be related to people. Other words may be related to places, etc… The purpose of attempting to group words together is not simply an organizational tool; in the process of associating words, a writer can also begin to form a unique and interesting main idea. 

3)  Consider a basic thesis. Remember that a thesis is a main idea and must be some form of opinion. Relative to our writing assignment "Now and Then", some possible main ideas may be: People were more connected as a society in 1980; Life was easier in 1980; life was more difficult in 1980; Life with computers has enabled us to become more in touch with the world; Life with computers has prevented us from becoming more in touch with the world, etc... Be creative with a thesis. 

4)  Narrow or broaden your scope. In an academic environment, you may be given a certain minimum or maximum number of words with which you can express your idea. In a high school setting, an essay is typically two to five pages, whereas a college application essay is commonly 500 words or less. And, as a general rule, the shorter an essay is, the more precisely written it needs to be. This is known as concision. It is more common for young writers to attempt to write a book; the temptation to tackle an enormous idea is great…but… After a little consideration, go to step five. 

5)  Consider a more specific thesis and think of examples. Writers often spend a great deal of unnecessary time trying to explain a very deep concept. Examples can save a writer from being too wordy, and they have the added value of being more easily understood by the reader than a long explanation you may give. 

6)  Organize the function of your paragraphs. Each form of art has a beginning, middle, and end. Each paragraph, in this way, must serve a specific function. In a comparison and contrast paper, the beginning (introduction) is generally the same as other types of essays; it gives the reader a bit of background information, a hint at a purpose for being written, and a "hook", which is something interesting or even stunning that pulls the reader into the middle (body) of the essay. There are basically two different ways to organize a comparison and contrast idea in the body of the essay. "Block form" in the "Now and Then" essay would compare or contrast 1980 in one paragraph with 2007 in the next paragraph. "Alternating form" would compare or contrast 1980 and 2007 in each paragraph of the body, with each of these paragraphs expressing a single difference or similarity. More on that concept next week. 

7)  Write the introduction. With the organization above and a well written introduction your work is more than half finished. The introduction is always the most important part of an essay because, in the real world, the introduction determines whether or not a reader will continue to read the rest of your essay. If nobody reads your essay, it has zero power. And most essays that express opinions are power-hungry. I often tell students to punch a reader in the face with their introductions. Take no prisoners. It is far better to make a reader angry or upset than to make him or her bored. 

8)  Finish the essay. Of course I could say, and have certainly said, very much about completing the essay. But sometimes it is best to think a little less and just write through until the end of the first draft. 

9) Get away from your own work. One of the biggest problems for young artists is getting too close to the personal idea. I have found that the best way to remedy this is to get away from your art for at least a few days. After that, read your essay as if another person wrote it. That's right, you did not write it. The effect of creating this state of mind is similar to hearing yourself when your voice is recorded, or the strange feeling you might get when watching yourself on a video. Do not get frustrated; just beginning your second revision. You may find that entire sections of your essay are confusing or simply unnecessary. Sometimes it is better to completely rewrite a paragraph; other times rearranging it more simply changing a few vocabulary words does the trick. Be open-minded. Feel free to show your work to other people and ask for their honest opinions. 

This idea of getting away from your work is crucial for all types of artists. When viewing your work as a detached stranger, do not be over critical of yourself. Always remember that you and your art are two completely different things. Your art is your expression, whereas your craft is communicating this expression to other people. Being too serious about the way that you express yourself can prevent you from improving, so listen carefully to any advice people can give you. In the end, of course, you can ignore somebody's advice and just do it your own way. But think before you do this.